ShareMost people could name the top 3 biggest tournament winners in the USA, and probably the German top 3 as well, but how much do you know about the rest of the world’s best performers by nation? Today we’re going to check in on the Netherlands, and see who tops the tournament rankings in the low country...
3. Pieter De Korver $4,095,113
When a player has more than $4million to their name, but that name isn’t a household one, it’s often because of a single huge win or scooping the jackpot at an online casino!For Leeuwarden pro Pieter De Korver, it’s three-quarters thanks to a monster scoop at the 2009 EPT Monte Carlo Grand Final, Pieter taking down the season 5 finale for €2.3million, just a winner’s tip over $3million.
That field included Annette Obrestad, Jason Somerville and Phil Laak, with the Dutchman seeing off Matt Woodward heads-up for the win.
Pieter would never replicate that epic win, but he would add four six-figure scores to his resume, almost entirely playing in Europe, with a €145,400 ($190,593) victory in the Berlin Cup at the 2013 EPT Berlin stop chief among them.
That has him ahead of the likes of Rob Hollink, Tobias Peters and Steven Van Zadelhoff in the Dutch national moneywinners list.
2. Marcel Lüske $5,013,396
Easily the best known of all the players the Netherlands has produced, Marcel The Flying Dutchman Lüske is a world-wide poker phenomenon.Anyone with 20 years of recorded cashes on the Hendon Mob can justifiably be classed as old-school, but Lüske goes the whole hog, sartorially elegant and charming to go with incredible poker skills.
He started off his working life far removed from cards, but gradually worked his way towards poker via nightclubs in Amsterdam and a Belgian cardroom, eventually turning pro after a $40,000 win in Prague.
Already well-known in the UK and Europe, partly thanks to his appearances on the cult show Late Night Poker, a 14th spot and 10th place finish in back-to-back WSOP Main Events in 2003 and 2004 brought him to wider public attention.
It was just short of Dan Harrington’s back-to-back final table runs in those same years, with the American responsible for knocking Lüske out to make it to the final nine in 2004.
That latter score is still his biggest, a $373,000 cash, and Lüske has built his $5million career tournament earnings on phenomenal consistency across the years.
Away from the table, he produced several poker shows but is better-known globally for writing the book The International Poker Rules, aiming to provide consistency in poker rulings.
1. Jorryt Van Hoof $5,673,426
Known online as TheCleaner11, Van Hoof had been around the gamer for a long time before hitting the jackpot with a monster 3rd place $3,807,753 cash in the 2014 WSOP Main Event, won by Sweden’s Martin Jacobson for a cool $10million.That lucrative podium spot alone would have been enough for 4th place in the Netherlands’ top tournament earners list, but a recent run of excellent results has leapfrogged Jorryt into top spot.
Three six-figure cashes in late 2019 were followed by a $ 322,551 PLO high roller victory at the 2020 Aussie Millions, overtaking Lüske at the top of Dutch table.
That was followed by the 38-year old getting engaged, completing a remarkable run of good fortune, but not content with that, his online form has also matched his live poker skills.
He produced a string of big cashes at the 2020 Poker Masters Online series against the world’s best, and though there were no wins, his consistency added over $700,000 to his bankroll.
So, the Netherlands top 3 have a combined $15million+ in live cashes, and there are many more nations who might surprise you with their best players. Reach out on our social media if you’d like to see your own country’s best featured on our pages!
